S$10 billion invested in workforce initiatives over past five years: MOM

[SINGAPORE] Singapore has invested more than S$10 billion over the last five years in local workforce initiatives to help workers upskill and remain competitive, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon revealed in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 24).

He was responding to a question by Christopher de Souza, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC regarding the government’s assessment of structural unemployment risks faced by professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in their 40s and 50s.

Dr Koh said that the long-term unemployment rate for PMETs remained “within the range” observed during non-recessionary periods, which indicates that structural unemployment risks remain “low and stable”.

He did, however, stress the importance of workers “regularly upskilling to stay up to date with industry needs and remaining open to new opportunities”.

Against this backdrop, Dr Koh added that the government has been strengthening measures to enhance workers’ career resilience and support career transitions.

He cited Workforce Singapore’s Mid-Career Pathways Programme and SkillsFuture Singapore’s Career Transition Programme (SCTP) as examples.

The Mid-Career Pathways Programme is a full-time attachment programme lasting three to six months for mid-career individuals aged 40 and above, allowing them to widen their professional networks and gain industry-relevant skills and experience. 

Participants are attached to host organisations and receive up to S$3,800 per month, with 70 per cent co-funded by the government.

Meanwhile, the SCTP supports mid-career individuals in acquiring industry-relevant skills to improve employability and pivot to new sectors or job roles. 

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This train-and-place programme is available in both part-time and full-time formats, ranging from three to 12 months.

Upstream measures

That said, Dr Koh highlighted the need to focus on upstream measures to improve access to new opportunities.

In a supplementary question, de Souza asked whether the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would look beyond SkillsFuture to provide PMETs further support for seeking alternative jobs.

In response, Dr Koh said that his ministry was “trying to go more upstream to actually prevent displacement from a job”, adding that it aims to ensure workers’ skills “remain relevant for a longer period of time”.

He noted that MOM was exploring how to support workers while they are employed by guiding them in skills acquisition, helping them seek out new opportunities, and equipping them to navigate industry challenges.

“Workers need to take charge of their career health and take proactive steps to improve their employability,” he said.

Dr Koh noted that MOM will continue to “go beyond SkillsFuture as it currently is today” and further strengthen its upstream approach.

He added that, to provide better support across seniors’ career journeys, the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment is studying recommendations that will be released in the second half of the year.